There are many methods known in the art for monitoring the activity of an individual during exercise of many kinds. Some of these are used for physiological purposes, e.g., so-called stress tests, while others are used to monitor individuals or groups during training sessions, such as bio-feedback for sports players.
In particular, measurement of heart rate has been used frequently as an indication of the amount of work performed by an individual during a given activity. A number of devices are known for monitoring heart rate and analyzing the data produced thereby. For example, there is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,566,461 to Lubell et al, a heart rate monitor device for use in monitoring aerobic exercise training, which automatically calculates a fitness parameter for the subject through an exercise stress test protocol.
There is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,958,645 to Cadell et al. a medical radio telemetry system having a plurality of telemeters, one located on each patient for collecting data such as temperature, heart rate, respiration rate, blood pressure level, etc. The patient telemeter works includes a patient locator and works in conjunction with a room locator for monitoring by a receiver.
There is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,157,604 to Axford et al. an apparatus for simultaneously monitoring the heart rate of each of a plurality of subjects including a main circuit for transmitting a predetermined signal to cause each of a plurality of remote subcircuits to transmit subcircuit identity data and heart rate data, a receiver for receiving these transmissions and producing an output representative of the heart rate, and a plurality of remote subcircuits, each having a pulse monitoring device for securing to a subject.
None of these devices permits real time monitoring of exercise programs individually tailored for each of a large group of individuals for use by a coach or physiologist and which permits analysis of past and present training sessions.